Asanasa na waga miru yanagi uguisu no kiite nakubeku mori ni haya nare

朝な朝な我が見る柳鴬の
来居て鳴くべく森に早なれ

Roma-ji: Asanasa na waga miru yanagi uguisu no kiite nakubeku mori ni haya nare
English Translation: Morning after morn
the willow that I gaze on—
so that warblers come
to perch there and sing their songs,
quickly grow into a grove!
Meaning: Willow that I gaze upon morning after morning, grow quickly into a grove, so that bush warblers may come to perch and sing in you.
Commentary: Book Ten Spring Miscellaneous Poems 1850

Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "On Willows"
This poem calls on the willow the poet watches every morning to grow thick quickly, so that warblers may come and sing in it. It plainly shows the heart that looks forward to the growth of the newly budded willow, and the hope for the warbler's song. Whereas the preceding four poems rejoiced in the willow's budding, this one wishes further for its thick growth, moving time a step forward within the willow group. The contrast of scale in asking a single willow to become a grove is also striking.

The first line, "morning after morning," shows the poet's habit of watching over the willow day by day.
The second line, "the willow I watch," is the one addressed.
The third line, "the warbler," is the subject of the next line. The warbler, theme of the bird group, appears in the willow group too, echoing the pairing of willow and warbler in 1819.
In the fourth line, "kiite nakubeku," "kiiru" means to come and perch and "beku" expresses possibility, showing the degree hoped for.
In the last line, "mori ni haya nare," "nare" is an imperative. The bold call for one willow to become a grove closes with a strong wish for its growth.
Source: Manyoshu
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